New Delhi: Protesters ransacked a Dominos Pizza outlet in a Mumbai suburb on Friday demanding a ban on United States goods as officials struggled to defuse a row over the arrest of an Indian diplomat in New York.
Police and the Indian franchise of the US chain said no-one was hurt in the attack, which came amid unrelenting rage in India over the arrest and subsequent strip-search of Devyani Khobragade for alleged visa fraud and under-payment of her housekeeper.
India has demanded that the charges be dropped against the diplomat and her father threatened to start a fast if US authorities pressed ahead with the case.
India angrily brushed aside fresh efforts to defuse the row, warning Washington that “times have changed”.
Diplomatic sources said Nancy Powell, the US ambassador to New Delhi, was holding talks with senior foreign ministry officials as part of efforts to resolve the crisis sparked by the arrest of Khobragade, India’s deputy consul general at its mission in New York.
But there was no sign on Friday that the calls had placated the government in India, which sees itself as an emerging power that should be treated with respect by an ally such as the US.
“They should tender a clear apology,” Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath said. “We will not accept this conduct against India under any circumstances.
“The US has to understand that the world has changed, times have changed and India has changed.
“The conduct and attitude that the US has shown regarding the Devyani issue is a matter of concern not only for India but also for all countries and everyone should raise their voice.”
US Secretary of State John Kerry expressed regret over the case in a phone call to India’s national security adviser this week.
Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid said he expected to talk with Kerry later in the day in what is likely to be a tense phone call.
“The only question is what do you do when something happens that is irksome, that is hurtful and that is unacceptable,” Khurshid said.
“You’ve got to find a solution, and we hope we will find a solution.”
Keen to project a muscular image ahead of a general election due in May, the ruling Congress party has taken a strikingly hard line in the dispute.
The vice-president of the Hindu nationalist opposition Bharatiya Janata Party, which is expected to win the election, also warned that India expected a full apology rather than expressions of regret.
“The US will have to apologise,” Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi was quoted as saying by the Press Trust of India news agency. “This is an extraordinary event and not about the US and India alone.”
Khobragade was released on $250,000 (Dh918,250) bail after giving up her passport and pleading not guilty to charges of visa fraud and making false statements about how much she paid her housekeeper. She faces a maximum of 15 years in prison if convicted on both counts.
The US Justice Department confirmed that Khobragade was strip-searched after her arrest. A senior Indian government source has said the interrogation also included a cavity search, although US officials have denied this.
“I want these false and fabricated charges to be dropped,” said Uttam Khobragade, the diplomat’s father, adding that he would go on a hunger strike if his demands aren’t met. “That will be my last option.”
Protesters also gathered at the US consulate in Hyderabad for a second day on Friday, shouting slogans, local media said.
He filed a lawsuit in India earlier this year on his daughter’s behalf, saying Sangeeta Richard was wrongly accusing his daughter of treating her like a slave.
“The fact is that [the] American authorities have behaved atrociously with an Indian diplomat,” said Manish Tiwari, minister for information and broadcasting. “And obviously, America has to make good for its actions.
“So therefore, I think it is a legitimate expectation, that if they have erred, and they have erred grievously in this matter, they should come forth and apologise.”
